Spring sitting of legislature wraps

Saskatchewan politicians have wrapped up the spring sitting of the legislature.

Premier Brad Wall said the highlight of the session for him, was the budget.

"We made some difficult choices to get there," Wall said of the financial plan for 2013-2014. "We'll continue to make those choices because we think that's central to the Saskatchewan advantage and it's what the people voted for in the last election."

The province also passed legislation that combines several laws on labour and work standards into one omnibus bill.

For the opposition, it was the first session with new leader Cam Broten, who assumed the leadership of the NDP after a convention earlier in the spring.

Broten said the highlight of the session was how people came to the legislature to speak out about conditions in long-term care homes in Saskatchewan and the care that seniors receive in them.

The government has taken notice of those concerns and says it is studying the issue.

One topic both government and opposition members agreed on was the need for a formal asbestos registry, for public buildings. The first such registry in Canada.

The need for such information was highlighted by a Saskatoon man, Howard Willems, who died in 2012 after years of exposure to asbestos while working as a building inspector.

The idea of a mandatory list of public buildings with asbestos originated with the opposition and the government came to support it as well.

The bill became known as Howard's Law.

MLAs return to their constituencies for the summer and will be back in Regina for a new session in the fall.